Israeli media are reporting that an Israeli judge has been reported for beating his children. Yet the social welfare system, attorney general and courts have refused for three years a request by the police to authorize a full investigation. A website dedicated to whistleblowing involving Israel’s social welfare system, reports (Hebrew) that Judge Rafi Aranyah of the Rishon LeZion court is the suspect in question. The report finds that he “hit and attacked” his children over an extended period. Two years ago the attorney general rejected a request to open an investigation and the abuse continued since that time.
The case began with a teacher who reported the judge to the social welfare agency. Arniyah then approached the teacher and expressed remorse for his behavior. The police investigation lasted a year leading to a request of the AG to pursue charges against him. That request is still pending.
Israel State radio (Kol Yisrael) reports that police officials have amassed troubling evidence against the judge which should lead to contact with his children being rescinded and to charges being filed against him.
In an effort to mitigate his behavior Aranyah attended parenting training, but the abuse of his children has continued. Maariv, and Mako have reported on this case without naming the suspect. News1 reported Aranya’s name, took the article down and then reposted it. Channel 2 TV news first reported the story (also without naming the judge).
In order to excuse his negligence, the AG announced that he’d determined from child welfare authorities that the children (despite the ongoing abuse that’s alleged) “continue to function at a high level” with no evident difficulties and continuous contact with their parents. If the nation’s highest legal officer is to be believed (and why wouldn’t you?) there have been no complaints of further abuse since those of three years ago. Further, the only consideration for him in this case is the “good of the children.” So in an effort to let himself off the hook and excuse himself from dereliction of his duties, he’s revealed that he’s allowed children to continue being endangered in the family environment, which includes a violent, abusive father. And that’s for the children’s good.
In Israel, judges enjoy immunity from prosecution comparable to that afforded MKs. Only the AG can approve investigations and prosecutions in such cases. This offers Judge Aranyah further protection and exposes his children to further violence at his hands. His judicial colleagues have afforded him further immunity: the chief judge announced that he was not aware of any investigation of any judge for violence against his children. The question is now that they know of the investigation what will they do. Will they prevent him from hearing any cases involving violence against children or parental abuse? Unlikely.
The judge has himself ruled on cases involving child abuse. In one particularly egregious one he had some trouble believing a wife and child who said the husband/father stabbed her, in the face of the abuser’s claim that his wife stabbed him. The judge extended the suspect’s detention for a whole extra day. Imagine, a man stabs his wife, endangers his children, and all the judge can muster is a single day of jail time. After which what would happen? Send him back into the home so that he could murder her next time. Can you imagine a judge accused of child abuse ruling on a case in which a suspect is accused of the same crime? It’s insane. But apparently not a major problem in the State formerly known as a democracy.
This story is yet another example of the culture of impunity which the powerful enjoy in Israeli society. Because the attorney general is a member of the same professional circles as the offending judge, his one hand washes the judge’s other and the only ones harmed are the judge’s children.
If you read Hebrew, I recommend this powerful denunciation of the judge’s abuse and Weinstein’s dithering by Arianna Melamed.
Richard,
If the Aparteid Jewish State does what it does to the Palestinians from crimes beyond imagination which is unbelievable especially after all the memorialization of the “Jewish Suffering”, why do you want to hold them to the same standards of normal decent human beings? I would be more surprised if you told me that they behave decently.
Who was that Jewish man who said that the Nazis made him scared to be a Jew and the Israelis made him ashamed to be one?
[comment deleted for comment rule violation–don’t test me!]
censorship?
The democratic state of Israel has media that exposed this issue. It has a respected judicial system that will take care of this issue according to democratic norms. This will be investigated and dealt with.
No Eden the democratic state of Israel has not,does not and will not deal with this issue fairly as it has not,does not and will not deal with other issues fairly.
Burying our heads in the sand can only act as an nod and a wink to the offending Judges that their shenanigans will be tolerated.
Do the citizens of Israel not deserve better.
Can Israel be truly strong if such corruption is permitted.
I am intrigued by your statement that Israel will never deal with this issue and any other issue fairly in the future. Are you saying that Israel could never ever improve on this or any other issue? What is the basis for this gloomy vision of the future. Nazi Germany gave birth to a modern and democratic state. Wouldn’t you think that if so, any country could improve with time? No, If Israel is the exception what do you propose we do with it?
I did not say that Israel could/will never deal with this issue and any other issue fairly in the future.
I said that it will not deal with this issue (in light of previous patterns).
I said that because as things now stand in Israel rogue judges are either tolerated or asked nicely to retire.
If they refuse no action is taken and there are many such examples of rogue judges who act illegally and are not relieved of their duties, from judges that change the court protocol to judges who call up a police investigator saying “I an judge so and so and I want you to reopen the case against x”.
Israel can and will eventually wake up and take responsibility for itself and rectify the rot.
The question is how much more rot will there be before that day comes around?.
What painful event will cause the Israeli public to wake up?.
You remind me of that Little Train who keeps repeating: “I think I can, I think I can,” hoping that merely by repeating his wish he’ll succeed. In his case he did. In your case, you fail since there’s no substance to the nonsense phrase you keep repeating about Israeli democracy and rule of law, etc., etc.
The AG has now allowed a criminal investigation to be opened against this judge and only one thing caused this to happen: News1, my source and this blog combining to name the perpetrator and demand he be held accountable.
The only reason I can do this is because I’m not subject to Israeli law. If I was, the police or AG could have me arrested. So much for your vaunted Israeli democracy.
But it is on top of the Israeli news and no one is going to jail.
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4350922,00.html
Protecting the name of a person being accused is a very common practice especially in European democracies.
In the US, it is common for the police to parade accused people in handcuffs and have their picture taken. This kind of behavior is seen as prejudicial in most western style democracies. You surely would understand that if someone were to accuse you of a crime. The court of public opinion is very quick to condemn even the innocent men and I believe most people think that the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial should be preserved.
Why are puting “Jewish Suffering” in quotation marks?
Do you deny millions of Jews were killed during WWii?
Do you deny more than a millions Jews were ethnically cleansed from Arab and Musilim countries?
Eden – “Why are(you) puting “Jewish Suffering” in quotation marks?
Because folks, such as yourself, seem to believe that there is something “especially special” about “Jewish”suffering,
when it reality, it is simply ANOTHER item in the VERY long list of man’s “inhumanity to man”!! It is perfectly normal
to feel injury to one’s kindred more personally that injury to others (as an American of both Cherokee and Chickasaw
ancestry, I can attest to that, BUT, on the balance sheets of history, one ignoble atrocity is no worse than another.
“Do you deny millions of Jews were killed during WWii?
Do you think that THIS Holocaust, is MORE important than previous or subsequent Holocausts ?
“Do you deny more than a millions Jews were ethnically cleansed from Arab and Musilim countries?
Do YOU deny that a million (Arab) Palestinians were ethnically/sectarianly cleansed to make way for the
Zionist State, long BEFORE the expulsion of Jews from Arab lands. Are you aware that MANY of those
Jewish emigrants were simply making aliyah to Iretz Yzrael, in accordance with Zionist rhetoric?
[comment deleted for being off-topic]
Eden – “Do we know each other? How did reach any conclusion on “folks, such as yourself”
Personally? NO! However I DO know MANY “folks such as yourself”. I DID NOT use the phrase “you people”! Scratch a Neo-Con, find an American Exceptionalist. BTST, Scratch a Zionist, find a Jewish Exceptionalist! I’m only surprised that you haven’t made the a-S slur yet. Your earlier comment to Richard about how, if Nazi Germany vis-a-vis Israel (or any country) could become more democratic; GAVE YOU AWAY! You overlook entirely the fact that Nazi Germany had to be defeated in it’s efforts to take over the lands of others.
“These are lies and propaganda as much the claim made by Israel that Arabs left Israel for the most out of their own doing or to answer the call made by Arab leaders. You have just insulted a victim of that ethnic cleansing but mainly your words pale in caparison to the living images that are still vivid in my memory
Please recall that I said MANY Jews emigrated voluntarily, NOT ALL. Further a majority of arriving Jews came from Eastern and Western Europe, NOT Arab Countries.
I’m sorry, IF your and your family suffered in this conflict. However, it was started by the radical Zionists.
Not saying that many Arabs in Syria, Jordan and Egypt did not behave badly.
Maybe the quotation marks because it has become a trademark ? Just my guess.
Thanks for slipping in your earlier ‘neutral’ position. “The democratic state of Israel” really talks for itself as far as your agenda is concerned. Ever been to the place ? Did you see any democracy around ? Shlomo Sand, Ilan Pappe, Oren Yiftachel all call Israel an ethnocracy. That fits perfectly.
1. Trademark would imply a business was made out of it. Are you saying, Jews use the holocaust to make money like a businessman would use a product? Would that be like me saying the Palestinian use Deir Yassin ta make money, something I would not ever say out of respect for human suffering.
2. I normally do not refer to Israel as “the democratic state of Israel”. I was just simply mocking the fair and balanced statement from Dr. Soudy.
3. An ethnocracy is a government controlled by a particular race or national group.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ethnocracy
So yes, Israel is an ethnocracy as Jews have more control over the country than minorities. This being said, minorities seem to be well represented in the legislative branch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arab_members_of_the_Knesset
12 out of 120 is 10%. Less than the % of Arabs who are citizens of Israel but not too bad if you compare that to minority representation in other democratic countries including the US.
1. Someone like Elie Wiesel has clearly made a business out of “Jewish suffering”. You should eventually read Norman Finkelstein’s “The Holocaust Industry”.
3. Maybe you should read about ethnocracy somewhere else than in the ‘free dictionnary’. Ilan Pappe describes Israel as an ethnocracy in his latest book on ’48 Palestinians i.e. Palestinian citizens of Israel, Shlomo Sand does so in his “Tne Invention of the Jewish People” and Oren Yiftachel wrote a book “Ethnocracy: Land and Identity Politics in Israel Palestine”.
The % of Palestinian citizens in the Knesset has nothing to do with democracy: it’s only for hasbara-purposes. Why don’t you look into the Israeli distinction between nationality and citizenship. I’m not aware of Black in America belonging to a distinct national group and that their legal rights are restricted because of that. You seem very keen to compare everything to the US and constantlys blame Richard for not mentioning the situation in the US: that’s another hasbara-trick.
@Eden: Once I see eight comments in a relatively short period of time, you’ve passed your daily threshold. I’m restricting you to no more than three comments a day. Above that and you begin monopolizing the comment threads. Respect this request.
Regarding the use of secrecy in dealing with crime suspects, transparency and openness almost always works in favor of the victim in these cases. You can see from the myriad blog posts I’ve written about Israeli victims who’ve not been allowed to face their accusers, that silence works to the benefit of the perpetrator whether it be a murderer, child-abuser, IAEC official, or rapist.
This is OFF TOPIC and has been covered & refuted in this blog before. I’m simply not going over this ground again. If you insist on doing so you will be moderated or banned. If you don’t understand what off topic means, you stand to lose your comment privileges or have them restricted.
What does “This” stand for? Could you be more specific?
It is inconsistent to fight for the freedom of the press and against censorship and permanently threaten people of having their posts removed based on the automatic and non specific claim that their post is “off topic”.
@Eden: Sorry, that doesn’t wash. You’re at my blog, you follow my rules. That includes staying on topic. Once again, if you want to post comments here you’ll respect them. If you don’t, you won’t. So stop bellyaching.
What are you smokin’?? I think you mean that the Nazis came to power through democractic means, which is true in a superficial sense. But that’s not even close to what you wrote, which was ludicrous.
In Israel, judges enjoy immunity from prosecution comparable to that afforded MKs. Only the AG can approve investigations and prosecutions in such cases.
How very ‘old testament”!
You would do well to report that the Saar letter has been found by the police of being a complete fake. In addition, the person who is allegedly signed on it – completely denies ever have writing it.
You should issue an apology for being a patsy in the efforts to besmirch his name by rival politicians.
Actually, you’d do well to issue an apology for being a rude asshole. About the only thing Israel’s police chief, who made that totally unsupported claim the letter was fake, is good for is running over innocent motorcyclists & leaving the scene of the accident (which he & his driver did this week).
When you can tell us what specific evidence the police are using to make such a judgment then I’ll take you & them seriously.
In the meantime, you keep defending that sexual predator, Gideon Saar until enough irrefutable evidence mounts to prove he’s guilty even to a slug like you.
First, i would like to thank mr. Silverstein revealing the judge’s name, which, in this case is justified because of the lack of action on the AG’s side. Normaly i would think nobody deserves a public trial if the proper channels are being used to investigate such allegations, but since nothing has been done, the exposure might be the addition of pressure needed to do justice in this appalling case. I would like to reffer to the last comment, about this being: “another example of the culture of impunity which the powerful enjoy in Israeli society.” In itself, i agree, but do i sense a double standard when it comes to the American justice system, or, for that matter, to the American structure of power? Isn’t the US the country in which mentally challenged, socially deprived and terminally ill are executed? Need I mention Tookie Williams? Or, more to the point of hand washing, Mumia abu jamal? Isn’t the US the country that is most responsible for the notion that money can bye justice? Power is destrutive in both countries, and while Israeli standards of justice making are very low, as I well Know from personal experience, we learned from the best, so I find it odd mr. Silverstein chose a lecturing tone without thinking that by this he might leed people to think he represents a better system.
I do believe the U.S. system is better & that by & large individuals are treated more fairly here. But as anyone who reads this blog knows I am not a standard bearer for our system. It has many flaws & rides roughshod over the rights of many. I am critical of both systems, but Israel’s more.
Revealing the name may be good to pressure the AG into acting. Conversely, revealing the name may simply tarnish the reputation of someone who may be innocent. Do you actually have seen primary evidence supporting the guilt of this person? I have served in a Grand Jury for one month. We had tens of cases being brought to us daily and many of them were based on nonsense. We were sworn to secrecy for obvious reasons. I would never go and disclose the names of the people being accused of crimes as this is very damaging even when they are eventually found not guilty.
So you’re claiming that a story that was published by Mako, News1, Haaretz and other publications isn’t sufficiently vetted for you to believe there’s any truth to it? And I actually must’ve seen video of the judge beating his son, or had a talk with the public school teacher who reported him, for it to be considered true? That’s an awfully high threshold of proof, and leads me to believe you’d prefer having no one find out the ugly things this man is likely to have done.
Richard,
Unfortunately you have only scratched the surface of judicial misconduct in Israel.
In something similar to an “old boy network”, Judges misuse their powers to help out others from within their ranks that I know of and possibly beyond. It’s known and accepted within the judicial system.
In the case of Judge Aranya who is a relatively new judge, the police know full well that they are powerless as the man will never be prosecuted.
Judges in Israel have immunity from criminal prosecution unless the Attorney General decides otherwise.
They are effectively above the law.
There is a long list of such examples and the sad part is that most Israelis prefer not no know.
The Israeli Bar (לשכת עורקי הדין), which deals with misconduct among lawyers is falling apart from infighting and may
be disbanded.
How did this sad situation come about, perhaps we should consider Dr Soudi’s theory, as I can think of better .
Personally I feel sad when I write these words but it is what it is.
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ, וּפְרֹשׁ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ
Daniel F;
I don’t read Hebrew. Could you translate into English or post a web site for Dr. Soudi’s theory?
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ, וּפְרֹשׁ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ לְרָאשֶׁיהָ, שָׂרֶיהָ וְיוֹעֲצֶיהָ, וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ.
Avinu sh-e-ba-sha-mayim, t-zur Yis-rael ve-go-alo, bar-ekch et me-di-nat Yis-rael, re-sheet tze-mi-chat geu-la-tei-nu. Ha-gen a-leha beh-evrat chas-de-chahk u-frosh al-eaha suk-kat shlom-chakh u-she-lakh ore-chakh va-amit-chakh le-rosh-ea-hah, sar-ea-hah ve-yo-outz-ea-hah, va-tik-ne-am be-ei-tz-ah to-vah mi-le-fa-ne-chakh
Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your lovingkindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel.
Regarding the first comment to this post, that of Dr. Ibrahim Soudy, it appears that the domination over Palestinians has adversely affected moral values in Israel and the acceptance of mistreatment of Palestinians (for reasons of national security) has caused Jewish Israelis to progressively accept mistreatment of fellow Jews.
I’m not sure how comfortable I am having prayers on behalf of Israel published in the comment section any more than I would feel comfortable with Muslim prayers on behalf of Palestine. I believe this is a political conflict, not a religious one. I’d prefer not to drag religion into it in any way or treat religion as a primary motivator of the conflict.
That’s not to say I’m opposed to religion in any way. On the contrary. I just believe that those who drag religion into this only make the conflict intractable.
Daniel F: “it appears that the domination over Palestinians has adversely affected moral values in Israel and the acceptance of mistreatment of Palestinians (for reasons of national security) has caused Jewish Israelis to progressively accept mistreatment of fellow Jews.”
So you are saying that as long as the “mistreatment of Palestinians” remained limited to Palestinians,”moral values in Israel” are OK, but only became compromised when the mistreatment extended to fellow Jews. OH BROTHER! How VERY
Old Testament! I can just hear the derision coming from the graves of the Caananites, Moabites, et al.
Position of power and child-beating
Borne out of culture and/or religious background, abuse of power can become endemic. It’s often about dominance and submission, as in fundamentalist religion with the patriarchal role for the man and a submissive wife. A close-knit community keeps abuse under wraps.